Frequently the wearer of eyewear such as sunglasses, conventional eyeglasses, sports related eyewear or the like will need to temporarily store the eyewear. For example, during days of alternative periods of sunshine and cloudiness sunglasses may be alternately worn and stored several times during the course of the day. Therefore, the eyewear should be carried in a manner which allows easy access to the glasses for retrieval and storage of the glasses. It is also preferred that the eyewear be stored in a manner which frees the wearer's hands. Eyewear cases or holders are typically utilized for storage of the eyewear between uses.
During temporary storage, the eyewear should be protected both from environmental elements and impact forces which may fracture the frame or lenses which make up the eyewear. The protection from impact forces may be accomplished by retaining the case in a location where the chance of the impact force striking the case is reduced.
The wearer may be involved in numerous activities such that the available locations where the eyewear holder may be retained changes depending on the activity. For example, when riding a bicycle, the bicycle presents an obvious place on which to attach the eyewear case or holder. However, the user might also be in a situation, such as swimming or sunbathing, where the only available location at which to attach the eyewear case is to the wearer's body. The changing activities and the desire to retain the case in a protected location may require that the same holder be attached in differing orientations to provide access to eyewear within the holder.
The eyewear holder should also be designed such that when the eyewear are disposed within the holder, the eyewear, and particularly the lenses, are protected from abrasion and scratching by the holder.
In addition, during outdoor activity and while the eyewear is being worn, lenses of the eyewear frequently become dirty or spotted from environmental factors such as rain or dust. Therefore, the wearer may also need the ability to clean the lenses. This cleaning may be accomplished by a separate cloth; however, storage of the separate cloth between uses may also present a problem.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a holder for eyewear such as conventional eyeglasses, sunglasses, sports related eyewear and the like.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an eyewear holder which protects eyewear during storage of the eyewear.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an eyewear holder which may be attached to a number of different supports in various orientations relative to the supports.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an eyewear holder which includes a means for cleaning the lenses of the eyewear.